Architecture Work P.C. Blog

Architecture Work, PC William Robert King, R.A. December 4, 2018Question: Now that I have a program but don’t like the budget, what’s next?This is still the easy part. We have a “program” (statement of the design elements, AKA the “wish list”),“ideal room sizes for the program”, and a “budget” (however not well liked but it’s linked to room sizes). Since the budget was a function of room size and program, I can use “room sizes” as a variable againstthe budget and program. We can also agree to increase the budget, or reduce the program and we move on.Solving this problem for room sizes, I use diagramming software to take each of the rooms or spaces from the program list along with their “ideal size” and shape (usually a square or rectangle, but it could be any shape geometry regardless of complexity). I then map the room shapes (program) out on a scaled virtual page of specific size for easy printing and sharing with clients. This gives me something in two dimensions that I can easily manipulate and “move” around later when it’s time to explore the proximityrelationships of rooms to one another.Once these diagrammatic rooms or spaces are arranged on this virtual page (in no particular layout yet), using my mouse, I “select” them all, “group them” and use an “area and perimeter” function to calculate the total area of these rooms or spaces deducting in advance 33% of the “budget” for circulation space between the rooms. (On our website I created an Excel spread sheet titled “the Program Calculator” to do a similar thing, but already includes an allowance for circulation between rooms and spaces that is often not taken into consideration when sizing a project. This is most helpful when the physical size of the premises is a hard known number such as an existing office space or apartment.)This diagramming software does what the spreadsheet doesn’t do very efficiently and that is to reconcilethe budget and the program with the possible room sizes.For instance, since I now have a known program and somewhat agreed upon budget (cost per square foot), I can continue the analysis of room sizes. Using the software tools, I can simply take all the spaces together and/or separately and shrink or expand them to fit the cost per square foot budgeted by a quick move of the mouse. Each of the rooms selected is automatically re-sized until the room areas match thetargeted “budget”. I can now also take these same diagrams and overlay them in partial transparency on top of any other scaled floor plan for simple visual comparisons.Could be an “oops” moment if the rooms are too small for the program, but this starts a newdiscussion...what goes, what stays & if it stays, what size would it have to be in order to stay.This is the end of the easy part...

I’m often asked how does an architect goes about designing. This would apply to almost anything in the greater design world as we don’t just design structures. In any event it’s a great question.

All design exercises, from my point of view and training over many years, starts with a statement of the problem – “I need a “such and such”, with this much “this and that”...budgets come later. This impliesthat the need for a “such and such” is already known and the “this and that” likewise already identified.

Rarely do problems have this much definition beforehand, unless something is just plain broken & needs to be repaired. So the first place to start is the most simple of statements, like... “I want you to design me a house (or a building)”. From this statement follow the usual questions from me, of programming -rooms, sizes of rooms, types of rooms and write this all down to create a “wish list”. Once the list is considered complete, we can deduce the approximate size of the structure with some basic math. Taking this newly estimated physical size of the project, the budget can be roughly estimated using comparable budgets from similar projects and again, some more basic math and we have a “number”. Not terribly complicated yet but this is just the very beginning as most clients don’t like the first number. I, however, like the first number because it’s a place to start and has a rational basis for its creation. Note that having this rational “first number” as a template, allows us to start manipulating the “wish list” parameters in order to find the right balance of size (cost) and program (project description).

Girls are now older and showers are preferred. Installed new polished and tempered glass sliding doors for each bathroom. Hardware is polished chrome from CR Laurence. One of our favorite details for bathtubs that are mostly used for showers. Both doors slide so water can be controlled from the outside.

To date Architecture Work P.C. in New York, NY has designed over a hundred offices in the metro area and Long Island including orthopedic, sports medicine, pain management, vascular, psychiatric, dermatological, plastic surgery and dental practices. On each project, we always strive to achieve the most efficient use of the space & make our doctors needs fit neatly.

The first one we built at Architecture Work P.C. was for a prominent orthopedic surgeon on Long Island in 1984. This was back in the day of paper files & voluminous onsite chart storage. The administrative part of the office at that time consumed 1/3rd of the total floor space, which was considered quite efficient. By the mid 1990’s that proportion was beginning to exceed almost 2/3rds the space allocated to administration! The advent of electronic storage and the changing nature of payments to doctors created an effort to roll back this alarming trend – doctors became more aware of what they could “live with” in terms of the size of the rooms and computers enabled higher productivity of the staff. Office “flow” for the floor plan layouts became paramount.

We have lots of shelving details which feature a concealed support, usually embedded inside the wall structure and from there inserted into the shelf using a bracket or mortised spline of some sort or another – all good, but not with glass. Since glass is a transparent solid. No manner of structure can be easily concealed within it. To mitigate this issue, we use a semi-concealed metal bracket system readily available online or from better hardware stores. The system we use is by GARCY HARDWARE that we order online here in NYC. Here’s link we use:

To get the “floating look”, the wall standard must first be concealed in the wall and securely attached as needed for the type of wall construction holding the standard. We used GARCY’s Super Heavy Duty Concealed Standard #GY148272 (6 foot long) and then cut to our custom length onsite. This standard has a concealed depth suitable for the 5/8ths inch thick drywall we used to laminate over the existing wall finish. They are available in sizes smaller & larger to accommodate various thicknesses of whatever wall finish you may be considering using, such as a fabric wrapped panel, mirrors, stone slab or wood paneling among others.

The expansion of the LED market into mainstream retail stores has us taking a second look at lighting trims and recessed housings popular when incandescent bulbs were the only choice for lamping. The cost and quality of LED lamping has dropped dramatically over the past few years. I bought some on sale over a year ago oddly enough at COSTCO for about 2 bucks a 60 watt equivalent “A” style bulb for myself. I also bought some 100 watt equivalent ones in the standard outdoor “flood” style for just a few bucks more. In all I spent about 75 dollars & re-lamped part of my house in Connecticut to see for myself.

I learned a few things:

There’s absolutely no difference between incandescent and LED, appearance-wise, in color, when properly specified (3-4000K).

The monthly electrical bill plummeted more than enough to pay for this expenditure every three weeks as electricity in CT has about the nation’s highest rates. Since the expected “lifespan” is 25 years – do the math as this is a “no-brainer”.

The few 60 watt equivalent “A” style bulbs did not fare well in my outdoor sealed “jar” type BEGA porch lights & I’m pretty sure that air circulation (there wasn’t any...) was the culprit as they dimmed quite a bit until I removed the sealed glass casing inside the housing – problem solved.

I also re-lamped my outdoor HALO recessed downlights which have “retrofit” housings that have vent holes at the top of the housing & they’re also doing just fine, same for the interior recessed lights.

Outdoors the floodlights are also doing quite well & give off lots of 4000K light as they are seated in simple exposed socket type housings I got at HOME DEPOT years ago.

My original SKYLARK sliding dimmer switches only dim about halfway & then the light goes off, so I have to change the dimmers to more expensive ones that can do the job. For now the dimming capability is not an issue for me. Note that LED lamps remain at the same “color” even when dimmed verses incandescent which do not, so no “yellowing” of the light band.

Currently, we are again specifying older model HALO & LIGHTOLIER open trim recessed housings where insulated ceilings are not present and the space above has some “breathing air” for keeping the lamping from over- heating”. This is really dropping the light fixture budgets by orders of magnitude on our projects both commercial and residential. The look is still both clean and modern. For projects that need “trim-less, plaster-in” LED devices, there’s always our favorites from LUCIFER and BIRCHWOOD Lighting to bridge the appearance gap.

If you’re using LED lamping retrofits with older housings or other light fixtures – heat dissipation is crucial to lamp longevity, so use your own judgement when making a selection.